Dow Jones Industrial Average Futures Edge Higher

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is eyeing a fourth straight win, with futures cautiously higher ahead of the bell. On top of the latest batch of earnings, investors continue to consider the latest Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes, with many now assuming rates will be raised in December. Meanwhile, weekly jobless claims arrived roughly in line with expectations, while the Philadelphia Fed index turned positive for the first time in three months. 

Continue reading for more on today's market, including:

• Amazon.com, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AMZN) unexpected Black Friday twist. 
• The telecom giant drowning in antitrust concerns. 
• Schaeffer's contributor Adam Warner asks: Just how "smart" are CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) futures?

And now, on to the numbers…

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) are almost 4 points above fair value. 

 5 Things You Need to Know Today

 

1. Wall Street's Wednesday strength has led to across-the-board gains in global markets. 
2. The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 1.1 million call contracts traded on Wednesday, compared to 794,659 put contracts. The resultant single-session equity put/call ratio slid to 0.72, while the 21-day moving average edged to 0.71. 
3. A rough week for Best Buy Co Inc (NYSE:BBY) is about to get much worse, after the electronics retailer offered a cautious outlook for the holiday season. Ahead of the open, the shares are looking at a 4.9% drop.  
4. Before what will likely be a huge day for option bulls, Keurig Green Mountain Inc (NASDAQ:GMCR) is poised for a 19.3% explosion after topping the Street's revenue expectations. At Wednesday's close of $40.50, GMCR had given up over 69% on a year-to-date basis. 
5. Merger talks between pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) and Allergan PLC (NYSE:AGN) have reportedly picked up. PFE hopes to buy AGN in an attempt at a tax inversion deal. Both stocks, however, are set to open lower. 

Earnings and Economic Data

 

The Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators will also come out today Additionally, Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart will speak, while Fed Vice Chair Stanley Fischer is on tap for a post-close address. 

Stepping into the earnings spotlight will be Autodesk (ADSK), uckle (BKE), Gap (GPS), Intuit (INTU), JinkoSolar Holding (JKS), J.M. Smucker (SJM), Perry Ellis (PRY), Ross Stores (ROST), Splunk (SPLK), Williams Sonoma (WSM), and Workday (WDAY). To see what else is on this week's agenda, click here.